Geographical and commodity structure of exports polish electromechanical industry products in the 1980s

Abstract

The electromechanical industry has played and continues to play an important role in the economy of every country. It influences its development, modernity, and the level of scientific and technical cooperation with developed foreign partners. Products of the electromechanical industry are essential for the implementation of socio-economic activities in each sphere of the economy. The scope of their application is systematically increasing as a result of the progressing mechanization and automation. In the years 1980–1990, the share of exports of electromechanical industry products in Poland’s total exports compared to the share of other industries was the highest and oscillated around 40%. Along with the changes taking place in the Polish economy, the share of exports of this industry also changed. In the years 1980–1983, its largest share in total exports was recorded, which amounted to over 42% (the highest was in 1981 – 45,2%). In the period 1984–1985, there was a significant decline in this share, after which in 1986 there was another short-term increase. Since 1987, we can speak of a steady annual decline in the share of exports of electrical machinery industry products in total exports, which in 1990 amounted to only 30%. This was the result of the deteriorating situation in the electrical machinery industry and the growing crisis in the entire Polish economy. In the 1980s, the competitive position of the Comecon group of countries on the markets of OECD countries, especially the EEC countries, deteriorated. At the same time, this was accompanied by a reduction in the ability of the Comecon countries to finance imports and a reduction in the share of OECD countries in global imports from Comecon countries in favor of imports from developing countries (outside the OECD and Comecon).